Vibrant teen found dead weeks after she vanished, CA cops say. ‘Hard to put into words’
A 17-year-old girl who vanished weeks ago has been found dead near a California state park, authorities said.
Katherine Schneider was last seen driving away from her Saratoga home on July 5, the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.
Her empty car was found a little more than a month later on Aug. 7 near Castle Rock State Park, just west of Saratoga, the sheriff’s office said.
Five days later, deputies said human remains were found while searching for Schneider near the state park.
The remains have since been identified as Schneider, a spokesperson for the Santa Clara County Medical Examiner-Coroner’s Office said in an email to McClatchy News on Aug. 23.
The manner and cause of her death are still pending, the spokesperson said.
Nola Schneider, Schneider’s mother, wrote in an Aug. 13 Facebook post that Schneider died after a car accident.
“It is hard to put into words how much Katie will be missed. Katie was a bright light that brought emotional vibrancy to our everyday lives,” Nola Schneider said. “She taught us all how to live our biggest life without reservation.”
The sheriff’s office said it is still investigating Schneider’s death.
Saratoga is about 50 miles southeast of San Francisco.
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